12 reasons why you should change your accountant today?

St Albans - London West End – London City – Bromley – Three Rivers
Serving London the Home Counties and the South East
FINANCIAL
PROFESSIONAL
& STRATEGY SERVICE
REASONS WHY YOU
SHOULD CHANGE YOUR
ACCOUNTANT TODAY!
AND 6 KEY THINGS TO
ASK WHEN YOU DO...

CONTENT
YOUR NEXT MOVE
6 QUESTIONS TO ASK
YOUR FREE BUSINESS REVIEW
OUR GUARANTEE
OUR FAST AND SIMPLE
TRANSFER SERVICE
INTRODUCTION
CHECKLIST
REASON 7
REASON 8
REASON 9
REASON 10
REASON 11
REASON 12
REASON 1
REASON 2
REASON 3
REASON 4
REASON 5
REASON 6
INTRO REASONS INFORMATION
One Dedicated Team, United To Ensure Your Commercial Success - 02072 800 500 - www.fpss.co.uk - healthcheck@fpss.co.uk The FPSS Group

INTRODUCTION
The difficulty for most business owners – even
those with great reasons to review and change – is
that they find it difficult to make the break, move
on and progress. The simple fact is we all dislike
change we don’t like being outside our comfort
zone, preferring to have familiar people and
patterns around us, whether that’s in business or
at home. So it’s no great surprise that the vast
majority of businesses resist change especially
when it comes to reviewing and potentially
changing accountant.
Many continue with an internal conversation often
around the tax year end knowing that there is a
better accounting relationship solution for their
business.
You will need to see solid business reasons to undertake
a review and also understand what else is available to
you that might better serve your goals and aspirations.
And that’s the motivation behind this E-book. In it, you
will be introduced to 12 different reasons why you should
change the service your accountant provides,of course,
not all will apply to your current situation but any one of
them could impact your bottom line, your personal
wealth and your destinations in life and business
significantly.
The events of the past few years and the significant
economic changes that have taken place have led many
business owners and directors to review all areas of their
business performance, including of course, finances, cash
flow and all elements of expenditure. What’s surprising
though, is just how few businesses have received
proactive, up front advice, support and guidance from
their accountants at a time when it was needed most.
At FPSS we recognised that our clients required short,
medium and long term help for them to overcome their
challenges and also to help them define and reach their
goals and ambitions. As a result, many have avoided the
negative impacts of the recession and are now looking
forward with renewed strength, lower overheads,
improved profitability and long term strategic goals in
place. Sadly we often see that some businesses have out
grown the abilities of their accountant to add value to
their business in a proactive way and useful way.
If your accountants has left you to cope ‘on your own‘
perhaps it’s time to think about changing to a hands-on,
helpful firm like FPSS who always have a keen interest in
helping you the business owner overcome your business
challenges. For you the time might be now to cut the
“umbilical cord” that keeps you tied with your old
accountant and gain some real impetus and renewed
insights from a new relationship?
For you the time might be now to cut the “umbilical cord”
that keeps you tied with your old accountant and gain
some real impetus and renewed insights from a new
relationship?
Your success is our goal and we are passionate about
bringing success to our clients. We are a complete and
extensive 'round table' team, combining entrepreneurial
experience, wide ranging financial talent, strategic
foresight, proven wealth strategies, effective legal advice
and extensive operational 'know how', united in being
focused on your goals and success.
At a transforming point in history you can now have a
unique edge with one complete professional team uniting
all the expertise and disciplines you need, with the
creativity of combined experience and the power of
professional alignment all motivated to give you the
commercial advantage you deserve.
At FPSS we are more than just accountants, we are
a new multi-disciplinary professional services team
designed just for you.
Simon Howitt Senior Partner - The FPSS Group
We have produced this E book for you to help guide your thinking about changing your
accountant or at the very least reviewing the value of that supplier, in terms of their quality
and effectiveness of service and advice they provide for you – for the price they charge.

YOUR QUICK CHECKLIST TEST…
If you’ve answered ‘True’ to any of the above statements, you should talk to a new accountancy
firm and discover what today’s ‘new breed’ of accountants can do for you and your business.
True or false
TESTIMONIAL
Testimonial “Our entire company has been overhauled
and restructured to have an efficient corporate structure.
The results are great - we are all happy and looking
forward to a strong future with our business. I have paid
off my mortgage and sleep easy at night knowing my
future looks good. FPSS are a unique bunch who are very
good at what they do and I am so glad we undertook this.
I would recommend that others consider the same”
Mr T MD Estate Agents in Surrey & Hampshire
For your FREE no-obligation Business Review you
can contact us today in four easy ways:
1. Arrange a Skype video conference call with our team
from your desk by calling simonahowitt or.
2. Set up a personal meeting:- Get in touch on
healthcheck@fpss.co.uk to set up a personal meeting
to explore your areas of interest.
3. Call us: - Telephone on 02072 800 500 to discuss
how we can work together.
4. Email us: - Email us on healthcheck@fpss.co.uk to
let us know how best we might be able to help you?...
I haven’t changed my accountant for more than 5 years
Most accountants think the same way and do the same things
My accountant is more interested in last year’s accounts than planning for my future
My accountant has never talked about ways to help me increase profits
I have written plans for selling / exiting the business and retirement
My accountant never calls me to discuss how the business is doing
I never talk to my accountant about my ideas
My accountant never asks me tough business questions
When times are tough I never see my accountant
My accountant never provides an annual tax review to assure me we are efficient
I never know what my accountant will charge me?
1. Corporate Finance & Business Strategy & Implementation
2. Financial Management, Control & Procurement
3. Business Mergers, Sales And Acquisitions
4. Tax Planning & Advice
5. Insurance & Mortgage Brokers
6. Investment & Chartered Financial Planning
7. Wills & Estate Planning
Your accountant does not provide all the specialist services such as:
The FPPS Group - 02072 800 500 - www.fpss.co.uk - healthcheck@fpss.co.uk
One Dedicated Team, United to Ensure Your Commercial Success
The FPSS Group
If you like the idea of reviewing your accountant, but don’t have the
time to read this report in full today but want to take some action,
here’s a QUICK checklist to help you speed through the process.

REASONS WHY YOU
SHOULD CHANGE YOUR
ACCOUNTANT TODAY!
…As Spencer Johnson explains in his best-
selling book ‘Who Moved My Cheese?’,
“every company wants to do more than just
survive. It needs to be competitive – and
that means its employees have to adapt to
new influences. Loyalty is not enough. They
must have a flexible rather than defensive
attitude to change”

Change is an unwelcome intruder for most people. We
love the comfort of things staying the same and find
change an irritant that’s difficult to cope with. Even the
most entrepreneurial business owners and decision
makers often prefer to accept the ‘status quo’ of an
existing relationship with their accountant while they are
driving forward new ideas and projects. Even if they are
not totally happy with the situation, the chances are they
would rather put up with it than make a change,
especially those who harbour the misplaced belief all
accountants are the same when in reality this is not the
case.
The following are the 7 most frequently offered reasons
we hear why business owners like you, resist reviewing
your relationship with your accountant
1 “WE USE A LOCAL FIRM
WHO ARE JUST AROUND
THE CORNER”
One of the most common reasons for sticking with a
current firm is that they are local. Of course these days
thanks to ever-improving online technologies such as
Cloud based accounting software like Xero amongst many
others, accountants don’t need to be on your doorstep to
give you great service. We can work from anywhere
because of how we share and access data and how we
can communicate with you using technology. We collect
and securely scan all your paperwork and supply it back
to you both digitally and in its original form. HMRC accept
digital copies of receipts,
invoices for accounting purposes. This means your
accountant can be anywhere in the UK and do all you’re
accounting/bookkeeping, and give you as much advice as
you need by email or phone.
You can even have regular video-conferences using
Skype so we will be involved in your business, whenever
you need like a virtual Financial Director. We even supply
the Skype headsets to make things really simple and
easy for you.
2 “WE ARE CONTENT WITH
WHAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN
IN PLACE.”
We believe contentment breeds complacency and in a
business critical area such as accounting this is a costly
mistake. Given the opportunity to meet with you we can
take you through just how we make a real difference to
our customers and their bottom line.
3 “WE TRUST OUR
CURRENT ACCOUNTANTS
– AND WON’T KNOW A
NEW FIRM.”
All relationships require trust from both sides and not
least the area of accounting and financial planning. We
are a professionally qualified firm with a proven track
record working with clients of all sizes. When working
through our Business Review programme we will
explain our experience, qualifications and structure
giving you full transparency of our business allowing you
to trust us and our entire team.
4 “WE’RE RELUCTANT TO
CHANGE AND LIKE THE
STATUS QUO.”
Reluctance to change is understandable, but recognising
the benefits of change is essential.
Without reviewing other alternatives you simply do not
know what is missing from your business support team?
REASON
LACK OF CHANGE LEADS
TO LACK OF THOUGHT!

REASON 1 LACK OF CHANGE LEADS TO LACK OF THOUGHT!
5 “WE DON’T WANT THE
IRRITATION OF UPHEAVAL
OR SOMEONE NEW
LEARNING OUR
PROCESSES”
We recognise this and have developed a unique Simple &
Fast programme which will minimise interruption and
irritation for YOU. This programme enables our team to
learn the essentials of your business and how to suggest
and improve the current process with minimal irritation
and upheaval from you. Any short term investment of
time from you will be more than compensated for by new
ideas and new focus on your profitability.
6 “WE SETTLE FOR POOR
SERVICE BECAUSE THE
BILL IS CHEAP.”
The truth is you are almost certainly paying more for this
‘cheap bill’ through poor strategic advice, inflated tax
bills, little or no financial planning and potentially poor
business systems leading to “waste the enemy of profit”.
If your view is truthfully to pay the least possible for the
minimum you can get away with – we are probably not
right for fit for each other not because we are expensive
but because there would be a value clash that would not
work out. However if you have simply paid a low fee to
your current firm because you didn’t know what else was
on offer we would love the opportunity to meet with you
and offer you a suitable service that meets your needs for
a fair and reasonable annual fee.
7 “WE HAVE A FEAR OF
CHANGE RESULTING IN
ACCEPTING THE NORM.”
No one should accept ‘the norm’. By striving for
something better, you will open your business to more
opportunities and achieve more.
Accepting the status quo is in reality doing a diss-service
to you, your business and almost certainly to your future
wealth and retirement plans.
Change is one of the few constants in life; you only have
to look in the mirror to be reminded of this fact.
Innovating, adapting is of a vital part of long-term
commercial success. By making changes, you’ll make
breakthroughs; you will see different, better and more
profitable ways of doing things in the short term whilst
planning deliberately for the long term.
Resisting change is a commercial threat (Nokia) look at
industries that have adapted to changing market forces
(Apple) rather than resist and close shop as the market
moves and declines. Don’t allow complacency and the
mistaken belief that you are currently getting the best
available service from your accountant. You might be
missing out on new, more exciting and more profitable
opportunities.
TAKE ACTION TODAY…
Take the initiative and call FPSS on 02072 800 500 or
email us on healthcheck@fpss.co.uk for your totally
free Business Review without obligation today.
At FPSS, we understand the perceived difficulties
associated with change and will make it very
straightforward and easy for you, we have done this
for hundreds of business owners just like you before.
We also recognise the significant benefits you will
receive by changing to a more future-focused,
business-orientated accountancy firm: a firm which
will help you reach your business and personal goals
quickly and more profitably.

At the other end of the spectrum, accountants can be an
essential part of any successful business, providing
strategic financial and commercial expertise to maintain
the business’s competitiveness and increase its
profitability whilst legally minimising tax. Some use the
term proactive, we’ll call these ‘special accountants’.
Most business owners remain isolated from true
best-practice thinking. It is too easy to focus on your key
customers, suppliers and even staff rather than focusing
on profit, cash-flow and business survival. As Warren
Buffet often says “the common language of
business is its financial numbers”. An ‘average
accountant’ can help you with the basics, but what most
businesses are crying out for these days is a ‘special
accountant’ who will not only pay attention to the basics,
but who will guide and protect them with financial insight,
business acumen and advanced tax strategies – the
equivalent of having your own FD on board.
Is your current accountant ‘average’ or ‘special’? The
average accountant knows profit and cash-flow. They
have spent their whole working life dealing with figures,
and can read a balance sheet like the rest of us read a
newspaper.
Test if we’re right by asking your accountant questions
like; “How do I improve my cash flow?” or “What do I
need to do to improve my gross margin?”, and you should
get a worthwhile response.
However, ask your accountant the following questions
and you may spot some signs of weakness: “How do I
keep my best customers?”, “Which of my employees must
I keep?”, “What is my exit strategy and how much can I
be worth when that happens?” and “What is the best way
to groom the business to sell and how do we achieve this
in the most tax efficient manner?”
It’s unlikely they will be expecting those questions, so see
how they react. Are they comfortable answering them or
are they being evasive with their answers? Only then will
you know if your accountant is ‘average’ or ‘special’.
Which category is your accountant in? If you think they
are average, maybe it’s time to change. We are not all the
same. Now is the time to test how good your accountant
is by asking those key questions listed above.
THEN SIT BACK AND WAIT
FOR THEIR ANSWERS!
If you would like to change to a more future-focused,
business-orientated accountancy firm, a firm which will
help you reach your business and personal goals more
quickly and more profitably, then why not arrange an
introductory meeting with one of our senior team and
get a free Business Review without obligation, simply
by calling today FPSS on 02072 800 500 or email us
on healthcheck@fpss.co.uk
There’s a common perception that all accountants are the same. They all have a qualification and they
all produce the same set of accounts at the end of the year. They are a necessary expense that every
business has to endure. Those of you who are using a very poor firm will simply view us as the
necessary evil that plagues every business. Let’s call these ‘average accountants’.
REASON
WE ARE NOT
ALL THE SAME!

There have been many studies identifying the key behaviours business
owners have adopted that help us understand why the individuals who
lead businesses succeed and people whom accumulate wealth do so
intentionally. Harvard University undertook a famous study looking at a
group of students starting in the 1960’s as they went about their careers
over the next 40 years and concluded some great insights that we apply
to our client’s today.
The Harvard study concluded the reason that 3 % of their study group
outperformed the rest was down to having a plan with written goals that
they reviewed regularly. We have used this simple skill set and we take
our client’s through exercises to define their goals on paper.
The results have been exceptional and our clients feel inspired, valued,
empowered and in control.
If you would like to experience this “life changing” process why not take
up our offer of an introductory meeting with one of our senior team and
get a free Business Review without obligation, simply by calling today
FPSS on 02072 800 500 or email us on healthcheck@fpss.co.uk .
One key reason to change your accountant is because they perpetuate the current thinking and mind-set
of you the business owner? Do they tell you what has happened as if they were history teachers
specialising on your business past? Good accountants challenge your thinking and
behaviour by asking questions of you and show you how to shape your future and build your success
now. Have you experienced that yet with your existing accountant?
REASON
ARE YOU REVIEWING
THE PAST – OR PLANNING
FOR THE FUTURE?

Perhaps one of the most important reasons to review
your accountant is the way in which they work and the
way in which you have become used to working with
them.
All too often we hear the words “They come in; tell us
what we already know; leave and send us their bill”. Of
course, there’s a requirement for accountants to review
or audit the books to ensure they show a ‘True and Fair’
view of the company’s affairs. But in today’s marketplace,
this should represent a small proportion of your
accountant’s time and certainly not the key contact and
thing you expect to receive from them each year
Far better that they and you should have access to ‘real
time’ data to gain an insight into what’s happening in
your business right now through accurate and timely
management accounts and to generate realistic forecasts
for the future.
Furthermore your chosen accountant should work with
you to develop valuable Key Performance Indicators
(KPIs) that enable you to assess your business
performance, quickly and accurately. Very simply put,
these are the things that you would want to know if you
were on holiday and had 3 questions to ask the office
before your phone battery died!
The purpose of performance measurement is ultimately
to drive future improvements in performance. There are
two main ways you can use KPIs to achieve this kind of
management power.
The first is to use your KPIs to spot potential problems or
opportunities. Remember, your KPIs indicate trends in
your business performance. If the trends are moving in
the wrong direction, you know you have problems to
solve. Similarly, if the trends move consistently in your
favour you may have greater scope for growth than you
had previously forecast.
The second is to use your KPIs to set targets for
departments and employees throughout your business
that will deliver your strategic goals. Here are a few
examples of the KPIs you can use to monitor and drive
your business:
• Actual Cash position v Forecast: how far ‘off’ are
you from your forecast cash position? What’s the main
reason for it?
• Actual Sales v Forecast: any discrepancies need to
be researched and understood to allow you to take the
necessary action needed to bring the figures back into
line.
• Liquidity ratio: this will let you know how well you are
able to meet your short-term financial obligations – a key
figure for almost all businesses in the current climate
• Gross profit margin: how much gross profit you are
making on average, per sale? You’ll know what margin
you expect to make, so the actual margins will reveal
whether you are paying more for the cost of sales or not
achieving your full sales potential.
• Daily production quantities: in a high volume
manufacturing business, the speed of production could
be critical to profitability, so you’ll want to know that
performance is at acceptable levels
• Customer complaints: if you deal with consumers,
say in a mail-order business, you’ll want to know how
many complaints you have each day, and the broad
reasons for them, so you can spot any trends and make
plans to deal with them.
Of course, there are hundreds, if not thousands of
performance indicators within every business. Your
accountant will be able to help you identify those that are
key to your business and set up systems to monitor and
measure them on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.
Do you have KPIs?
Is your current firm spending too much time checking historical records, rather than helping you
monitor and measure the key indicators in your business so that you – and they – can drive your
business forward to greater profits? It’s not rocket science, but it does require a more future-focused
attitude to your business.
If you would like to change to a more business-orientated accountancy firm to help you reach your
business and personal goals more quickly and more profitably, then why not arrange an introductory
meeting with one of our senior team and get a free Business Review without obligation, simply by
calling today FPSS on 02072 800 500 or email us on healthcheck@fpss.co.uk
REASON
DOES YOUR ACCOUNTANT
ADD VALUE TO YOUR
BUSINESS?

One of the most important tasks for an accountant is to
make certain that his client’s future is understood,
planned for and regularly reviewed. Only by making
appropriate plans well in advance and reviewing them
regularly, can your future and that of your business be
safeguarded. In order to make those plans your
accountant needs to know:
• Where do you want to be, financially,
when you retire?
• What actions have you taken
already to achieve this goal?
• Do you have an exit plan?
• Do you want to sell the business at some stage,
or do you have a successor in mind?
• Are you ready to work together to create
the roadmap and plan to make this a reality?
So many people we speak to have a goal of selling shares
in a business as part of their long term strategy yet take
no action in the short term to work towards that. Many
others plan to sell certain assets, land, property, shares
etc with little or no thought to the tax implications and
without any plan or knowledge of how to mitigate this
tax.
ARE YOU ACTIVELY
PREPARING FOR YOUR
FUTURE IN THE MOST
TAX-EFFICIENT AND
PROACTIVE WAY
POSSIBLE?
Has your accountant been working on plans for your
retirement? Are those plans reviewed regularly,
especially in the light of any stock-market falls? Has a
business exit strategy been planned? Are current results
in line with that strategy? Is your wealth protected? Is
your family protected in the event of your death?
Any practice worth its salt will make sure all these
questions – and more – are answered as part of the
annual client review. What’s more, they should be
connecting you with the right companies who can sell
your business for the highest possible price when the
time comes.
WHAT WILL YOU EARN
WHEN YOU RETIRE?
WHAT ARE YOUR LONG
TERM PLANS?
Are you regularly reviewing (every 6 – 12 months) your
long term plans taking into consideration the massive
current market changes? Is your accountant discussing
this with you and encouraging this process?
We are a future-focused, business-orientated
accountancy firm: a firm which will help you reach your
Goals with greater certainty.
If you would like to change to a more business-orientated
accountancy firm to help you reach your business and
personal goals more quickly and more profitably, then
why not arrange an introductory meeting with one of our
senior team and get a free Business Review without
obligation, simply by calling today FPSS on
02072 800 500 or email us on
healthcheck@fpss.co.uk
REASON
HAS YOUR CURRENT FIRM
CHALLENGED, DISCUSSED
& PLANNED FOR YOUR
FUTURE?

A valid criticism of many firms is that they are not proactive
enough with their clients. They never call you to find out how
your business is doing or ask your opinion on something. And
when you call them, you can never speak to them
immediately. If you are lucky they may call you back a few
days later.
Without that ability to chat and discuss matters
informally, it’s hard to advise you with any degree of
accuracy or create any rapport – an ingredient that’s
essential if you want to create a long-term business
relationship that’s founded on mutual respect and
cemented with trust.
After all, your accountant should be closely involved in
your business; helping you with the big decisions and
providing advice and guidance whenever you need it. If
there is no relationship, there can’t be any respect or
trust.
You need to have the ability to pick up the phone for a
chat about anything connected with your business
(without thinking that every minute is costing you a small
fortune!) What’s their opinion of...? What’s the best way
to deal with...? Should I buy a new car on Hire Purchase
or Contract Hire? How can I mitigate company car tax?.
In other words you need a business ‘friend’. Someone you
can rely on to give you great advice when you need it;
someone who’s not afraid to tell you the truth when you
need to hear it; someone who you like and trust enough
to recommend to your friends and colleagues.
REASON
ARE YOU HAVING
A RELATIONSHIP WITH
YOUR ACCOUNTANT?
Ask yourself the following questions and you’ll have a good
idea of whether you have a good or poor relationship with
your accountant:
1. How often do they call you to discuss your
business?
2. When was the last time you met face to face?
3. When did they last call you to discuss something
that might save you some money?
4. How quickly do they respond to your phone calls?
If there’s no relationship, there’s no trust.
If you would like to reap the benefits of a more meaningful
and profitable relationship with your accountants, call FPSS
TODAY. You’ll be changing to a more future-focused,
business-orientated accountancy firm: a firm which will help
you reach your business and personal goals more quickly
and more profitably.
To arrange an introductory meeting with one of our senior
team and get a free Business Review without obligation,
simply by calling today FPSS on 02072 800 500 or email
us on healthcheck@fpss.co.uk

Many business decision makers and owners, especially
those who are entrepreneurial, operate their businesses in
something of a vacuum. They are the creative force behind
the idea; they generate the sales and, more often than not,
they’ll undertake the marketing too. But in all businesses,
there comes a time when one team’s vision needs to be
supplemented by someone with external focus. It could be
a friend or family member, but who better to act as a
sounding board for new business ideas than your
accountant with a “bench of champions” at your service?
These days, accountants have to be far more than simply
compliance clerks. They should have a broad range of
business expertise, a variety of clients and the ability to
make sound business decisions. Yet all too often, they don’t
get involved in this decision-making process. Perhaps that’s
because:
1. The business owner doesn’t have any reason to
think they might have an opinion, or
2. They haven’t made a conscious effort to get to
know the client or the business well enough to
express an opinion.
Either way, it’s a missed opportunity on both sides. Let’s
change that for you going forward…
REASON
IS YOUR ACCOUNTANT A
‘SOUNDING BOARD’ FOR
COMMERCIAL IDEAS,
THOUGHTS, PLANS OR HOPES?

If your relationship with your accountant is built on the
ability to communicate freely and to trust each other,
he/she should regularly be asking you tough questions
about your business. It’s not a confrontational tactic, but an
honest and open way to find out whether you are giving
certain aspects of your business the importance they
deserve.
After all, there’s no value in asking questions which are easy
to answer!
So, when was the last time your accountant asked you a
‘tough’ question, such as:
• “What impact will the increase overhead created by
the pension Auto enrolment have on cash-flow when
it starts?”
• “If your main supplier goes bust, where can you get
supplies at the same or better price?”
• “If you lose another contract, what impact will that
have on cash-flow?”
•” Do you have a strong sustainable competitive
advantage (USP) and a guarantee in place to stop
your sales conversations with client’s being about
price rather than value”
IF YOUR ACCOUNTANT ISN’T
ASKING ‘TOUGH’ QUESTIONS
ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS,
THERE’S AN EASY SOLUTION
– FIND ONE WHO DOES!
FPSS is a future-focused, business-orientated
professional services team and accountancy firm that’s
not afraid to ask the toughest questions to help you reach
your business and personal goals more quickly and more
profitably.
REASON
IS YOUR ACCOUNTANT
ASKING YOU TOUGH
QUESTIONS?

As a result of the banking crisis of 2008-2009, and the
period of recession which surrounded it, the business
world has had to change. Orders were cancelled and staff
laid off in an effort to reduce costs; there’s been pressure
on cash-flow and working capital, but bank loans have
been far more difficult to obtain. Consumers too have felt
the pinch through increased levels of deposits for homes,
higher supermarket costs etc.
All this has meant that for many businesses it’s been
really tough. Just the time, you might think, that
accountants would be most active; helping their clients
get through and out of the recession with helpful advice
and proactive strategies. Yet in many cases, accountants
have put up the shutters themselves to ride out the
storm. They’ve cut back on staff and made themselves
scarce at a time when their clients needed their help the
most.
SAFE HARBOUR?
If your accountant has a ‘safe harbour in a storm’
mentality rather than an ‘all hands to the pumps’ strategy,
you’ll know it’s time to change.
At FPSS we have grown our client’s and our team year on
year throughout the tough times as we offer a really
exciting alternative…
You’ll be changing to a more future-focused,
business-orientated professional services team: a team
which will help you reach your business and personal goals
more quickly and more profitably. Arrange an introductory
meeting with one of our senior team and you’ll get a free
Business Review and Health-check without obligation.
At FPSS we are more than just accountants we are a
new professional services team designed just to
better serve you when your need arises.
REASON
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED;
THE ECONOMY HAS
CHANGED. HAS YOUR
ACCOUNTANT CHANGED?

If you are reluctant to talk to your accountant because you can’t understand the jargon
they use, it’s highly likely that your relationship will be very short. After all, being on the
same wavelength is an essential prerequisite if you want to get maximum benefit from
your accountant. Yet all too often, they are so wrapped up in their own language that it’s
difficult to know what you need to do – or when you need to do it. Translator required?
Hiring a translator is not a sensible option, so find an accountant who dispenses with the
jargon and speaks common sense straightforward English.
At Financial Professional, we understand the language of business. We are committed to
no jargon, no finance-speak, just plain English! FPSS are more than just accountants we
are a new professional services team designed just for you.
If you would like to change to a more easy-to-understand, business-orientated
accountancy firm: a firm which will help you reach your business and personal goals more
quickly and more profitably, then please arrange an introductory meeting with one of our
senior team and get a free Business Review without obligation, simply by calling Today
FPSS on 02072 800 500 or email us on healthcheck@fpss.co.uk
REASON
DO YOU AND YOUR
ACCOUNTANT SPEAK THE
SAME LANGUAGE?

HERE ARE THE FOLLOWING
SPECIALIST SERVICES
AVAILABLE TO YOU FROM
FPSS:
1. Corporate Finance & Corporate Structures
2. Business Strategy & Implementation
3. Financial Management, Control & Procurement
4. International Corporate Planning &
Wealth Management
5. Business Mergers, Sales And Acquisitions
6. Accountancy and Audit Services
7. Tax Planning and Advice
8. Insurance and Mortgage Brokers
9. Investment & Chartered Financial Planning
10. Wills & Estate Planning
11. Insolvency Practice And Services
12. Human Resources Services
REASON
DOES YOUR ACCOUNTANT
HAVE ALL THE PROFESSIONAL
SERVICES YOU’LL NEED
UNDER ONE ROOF?
Our clients have been rewarded with great advice in a very
efficient manner. We are continually complimented by our
clients who are benefiting in many ways from the collective
understanding of their business and goals and as a result
have saved both time and money amongst many other
benefits.
When the need arises in your business we can bring in a
specialist who will understand your business and your
unique needs and deliver the “best fit” solutions for you in
all of the 12 areas above.
Knowing all of this is just one call away from a client
manager to project manage everything we supply for you
will give you one point of contact and peace of mind.
If you would like to change to a more easy-to-understand,
business-orientated accountancy firm with a vast range of
skills and specialisms: a firm which will help you reach your
business and personal goals more quickly and more
profitably, then please arrange an introductory meeting
with one of our senior team and get a free Business
Review without obligation, simply by calling Today FPSS
on 02072 800 500 or email us on
We talked to our client’s about things that frustrate them and they told us one of their
great frustrations as busy “time poor entrepreneurs” was dealing with multiple suppliers
for their professional services. So we created a new breed of accountancy professional
services firm called a multi-disciplinary practice to meet our client’s needs and it’s proved
a great success.

REASON 11
FPSS HAVE A LARGE TEAM OF SPECIALIST’S
READY TO HELP WHEN YOU NEED US.
• Corporate Finance & Business
Strategy & Implementation
• FinancialManagement, Control & Procurement
• BusinessMergers,, Sales and Acquisitions
• TaxPlanning & Advice
• Insurance & Mortgage Brokers
• Investment & Chattered
Financial Planning
• Wills & Estate Planning

Having a clear fee policy is essential in today’s business
world. Clients need to know exactly where they stand. So
for example, if you saw ‘Fixed Fees agreed in advance. No
extra charges for meetings or phone calls’, you’d know
exactly what your accountancy fees would be for this
year.
Unfortunately, many accountants still operate by the ‘old
book’ method of charging clients by the quarter hour or
perhaps, by the minute! So if you speak to a partner for
5 minutes on the phone, you’ll be charged for 15 minutes
at the partner’s charge-out rate – perhaps £200 or more
per hour.
If you don’t know how much you’ll be paying for your
accountant’s work this year, now’s the time to find one
who will be free with his time and fixed with his fees.
At FPSS, we recognise that some accountants are not
interested in making their fee structure easy to
understand. However we definitely do! We work on a
fixed annual fees paid monthly with a very
straightforward way of working out and demonstrating
how your fee is calculated you’ll be pleased to know.
Also from time to time if you need additional professional
financial help and advice for let’s say, forecasting your
cash needs as your business grows quickly or if you want
to raise finance or if your seeking private equity
investment we will give you a specific value based quote
with specified outcomes and deliverables, so you will get
real value at the right prices and with the best outcome
for your business from our team of expert advisors. We
have so many talented partners at your disposal you will
be pleased you chose the FPSS team as your professional
advisors. We are so much more than accountants…
If you would like to change to an accountancy firm which
has fixed fees; the option to pay by monthly standing
order then why not arrange an introductory meeting with
one of our senior team and get a free Business Review
without obligation, simply by calling Today FPSS on
02072 800 500 or email us on
REASON
DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH
YOUR ACCOUNTANT WILL
CHARGE YOU THIS YEAR?

YOUR
NEXT
MOVE
DO YOU AND YOUR
ACCOUNTANT SPEAK
THE SAME LANGUAGE?
Once you have read through ‘The 12 Reasons to Change
Your Accountant’ you may come to the conclusion that
your current accountancy firm falls short of the standard
you should expect these days. At the very least, that
means you need a meeting with them to review many of
the items included in this report.
If however, you feel it’s time for a change, what is the
next step? How can you be sure that your next firm can
provide the services you and your business needs? Here
are 6 critical questions to ask any potential new firm of
accountants – and that also includes us if you decide to
take up our offer of a free Business Review and
Health-Check!

..THINGS TO ASK AN
ACCOUNTANT BEFORE
YOU HIRE THEM
Once you have taken the decision to talk to new
Accountant about becoming your professional
advisor, here are 6 critical questions you should ask
them. Their answers will give you a good idea of
which one will suit you best!
Question 1
“How do you calculate your fees? I’d like a fixed price menu
and the ability ask questions on the phone, skype or at
meetings without being charged by the minute.”
It’s important to establish what you want at the start of the
relationship. If they don’t have fixed prices already and are
not prepared to change the ‘rules’ for you, then you
probably shouldn’t use them. Sometimes you need a lot of
professional support and input for example when you are
looking at raising finance or grooming the business for sale.
Theses specific services would be quoted for and engaged
above and beyond your normal fees annual fees in the
same transparent way to give your reassurance of value
and control.
Question 2
“I want to make plans for when I retire in 10 years time.
What thoughts do you have and can we set up a meeting to
review this soon?”
Reaction to an open question like this will show you how
much experience they have in dealing with such matters.
You’ll expect them to mention pensions, exit strategies,
retirement planning, wealth and inheritance tax planning.
Question 3
“I’m not very good at financial planning and expect help
and advice from my accountant. Can you provide a service
that will create and monitor the forecasts?”
Most firms will jump at the opportunity to add this type of
service. What you are looking for is how they will monitor
the forecasts compared to actual and make
recommendations to improve the results. We can model
your business cash requirements for every possible
scenario from crisis planning, to looking for large cash
investment’s depending on your needs.
Question 4
“How can you help me improve our profitability?”
A simple question, but the answer will teach you a lot about
their attitude to being proactive. Be on the lookout for
jargon rather than common-sense English.
Question 5
“I’m sure I’m paying too much income tax. Can you do a
quick review of my personal position to make sure I haven’t
overpaid?”
We all think we’ve paid too much tax, but many
accountants will undertake a tax review as part of their
induction process with new clients – at no charge. We will
also offer you a variety of options should you be in the
higher rate band of tax.
Question 6
“Will I have my own client manager who will look after me
and build a good understanding of me and my business?”
Every one of our clients is given a client manager who will
look after you and your business helping you achieve your
goals and meeting your needs. They will be the single point
of contact between you and our entire team of advisors and
specialists so you always feel in at ease and in control
allowing our team to give you the best’s service every time.

HERE’S A BRIEF OUT LINE OF
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US:
• Fixed fees
• Monthly payment for annual fees
• no minute by minute billing
• Range of services to improve your business profitability
• Experienced tax and pension planning
• A chartered wealth management and protection team
• An insurance team to improve your cover
• Great advice from a specialist team you’ll
enjoy meeting with when you need them
• ...and so much more
For your FREE Business Review, call now on
02072 800 500 or email us on healthcheck@fpss.co.uk
If, as a result of reading this report, you feel you should
review your current accounting firm, please contact us on
02072 800 500 or email us NOW
healthcheck@fpss.co.uk for your free Business Review
without obligation.
This extensive review is undertaken by one of our senior
Partners who will pull your business apart financially and
check that all the elements are working properly. They
will agree with your if you will be requiring any extra
investment or funding going forwards? They will review
both your personal and corporate tax position and will
review your ambitions for your business and you
personally. They will assess whether your retirement and
business succession plans are sound and on-track. Where
there’s a problem, they’ll make recommendations to fix
it.
At the end of the health-check, we will both have had an
opportunity to get to know each other and decide
whether we would like to work together – an essential
component of business. If we do, then we can discuss the
level of service you would like and agree our fees.
OUR FREE BUSINESS
REVIEW FOR NEW CLIENTS

REMEMBER! CHANGING ACCOUNTANTS IS REALLY EASY WITH
OUR “FAST AND SIMPLE” SERVICE OF TRANSFER!
FPSS understands that changing accountants might be awkward, and that’s why we’ve introduced “Fast and simple”
where we do all the work so you don’t have to. It’s a simple process that takes away all the hassle:
1. We write the leaving letter to your old accountant so you don’t have to.
2. We provide form 64-8 for you to sign and send it off for you.
3. We phone your old accountant and organise the transfer of your accounts and closing
balances so you don’t have to get involved in that awkward phone call.
4. As members of professional bodies we are bound to deal with client transfers in a professional and
timely manner. (such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wale ICAEW, Association
of Chartered Accountants ACCA, Chartered Institute of Taxation CIOT)
5. We will confirm with you once the “Fast and Simple” process is complete.
If you want to change over to an experienced accountancy team with a personal and proactive approach
to your financial wellbeing, call TODAY on 02072 800 500 or email us on healthcheck@fpss.co.uk...
FAST AND SIMPLE!
OUR FEE GUARANTEE
Some of you may be thinking that this kind of service is
going to cost a fortune? Well you’ll be pleasantly
surprised to learn that we will guarantee to either “price
match your current fees” on a “like for like basis” or if you
prefer we can re-quote your accountancy requirements
so you will not be over charged and have complete
visibility on how your annuals fees are made up. The net
result will mean you will receive a fair price for your
needs and a great new extended team to help you.
We Guarantee It!

MORE THAN JUST ACCOUNTANTS
FINANCIAL
PROFESSIONAL
& STRATEGY SERVICE

12 reasons why you should change your accountant today?

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